CO2 in Food Production

[Heym SR20]

I had never realised that large amounts of CO2 are used in the slaughter of Chickens and Pigs. They are loaded into crates and lowered into CO2 tanks where they suffocate.

I must admit I am very uncomfortable with the large industrial scale animal production systems. I get the demand for cheap meat, but surely there is a better way?

 

[Jon P]

I had never realised that large amounts of CO2 are used in the slaughter of Chickens and Pigs. They are loaded into crates and lowered into CO2 tanks where they suffocate.

I must admit I am very uncomfortable with the large industrial scale animal production systems. I get the demand for cheap meat, but surely there is a better way?

It does not sound nice but Possibly less stressful then a bird being hung upside down on a conveyor belt system till it head hits the Electrically charged water to stun it , then gets bled lot prior to waking up. Or the last pig in the pen waiting for the electric tongs to be clamped on its head. Anything mass produced is going to have welfare issues. But bacon sandwiches do taste good.

 

[User00036]

God in heaven, what ever happened to a good home butcher? Regulations I guess.We used to take a steer into Fakenham to a small butchers yard, the animal was housed in a shed on straw for a couple of hours to calm down, then led quietly in for the coup de grace. the premises only did a few animals a day. We picked up the meat, ready frozen & labeled. The kids would say at dinner time, what's for dinner dad? I told em, Bully boy Bruno. Lets eat & enjoy it. And we did.

Two vets in attendance, plus men from the ministry, plus paperwork & passports, put pay to that. Sadly. One of my daughters is now a vegan, sometimes I wonder if she doesn't have a point.

 

[Woodsmoke]

I must admit I am very uncomfortable with the large industrial scale animal production systems. I get the demand for cheap meat, but surely there is a better way?

Driven by consumer demand for cheap meat, I'm afraid. Given the mind-bogglingly high levels of sheer stupidity, selfishness, and hypocrisy shown by the overwhelming majority of the British public these days it's not something that's going to change anytime soon. Out of sight is out of mind for most consumers, and why would they care what their 'three for a tenner' birds had to suffer prior to hitting the shelves, as long as they can get a bargain? Far easier for them to sit in their ivory towers and sign facebook petitions calling for grouse shooting and the like to be banned, rather than get off their mindless fat arses and do some thinking for themselves . . .

 

[MAH]

never realised that large amounts of CO2 are used

I was surprised to hear that too.
Given Co2 is a Greenhouse gas, I was more surprised that i didn't hear anyone suggest that its use should be banned altogether.

I wounder what volume of gas is released to the atmosphere. And how that compares with other sources.
M.

 

[Heym SR20]

Can’t help feeling that there is an opportunity here, venison is the only truly ethical meat etc etc.

And totally agree re regulations etc. It’s British bureaucracy gone mad with big business driving government legislation to regulate small producers out of business. And bollocks to the EU argument as there are still plenty of small local abbattoirs in all other European countries including Ireland and Northern Ireland.

This whole food chain supply crisis I hope will get people thinking about sourcing and buying locally. But as has been said elsewhere we are dealing with the British public.

 

[Bavarianbrit]

I asked my pal today who is a veterinarian in southern Germany and is one of the state sanctioned vets in a pig abattoir three days per week about this.
He chuckled as it is in Germany!! and said it is a worldwide industry norm now. The co2 is heavier than air so it stays contained in the tank and the groggy pigs have their arteries cut when they are lifted out.
Makes me uncomfortable too as I did not know until today how the schnitzels were created. There is still a home slaughter possibility for one off home usage non sale, but there is a limit as to how often this can be done.

 

[gonzo]

I was surprised to hear that too.
Given Co2 is a Greenhouse gas, I was more surprised that i didn't hear anyone suggest that its use should be banned altogether.

I wounder what volume of gas is released to the atmosphere. And how that compares with other sources.
M.

But it is a by-product, which they have found a market for.
It would either just get vented, or the producers forced to process and store it. Either way, putting up the costs of fertiliser and hence food.

But agree, that it's odd that there hasn't been a cry for banning it's use.
Then again, that may just be because they dont want their larger to be flat.

 

[gonzo]

Just thinking aloud....

If there did turn out to be a slaughter house capacity issue.
I wonder if farmers would be prepared/allowed to sell live pigs to consumers, for home slaughter??

 

[tozzybum]

I could do it but my mrs would first name " the pig" and then when it's sausage time for Percy pig she would say No.
And we would end with an old narly pet pig

 

[Freeforester]

God in heaven, what ever happened to a good home butcher? Regulations I guess.We used to take a steer into Fakenham to a small butchers yard, the animal was housed in a shed on straw for a couple of hours to calm down, then led quietly in for the coup de grace. the premises only did a few animals a day. We picked up the meat, ready frozen & labeled. The kids would say at dinner time, what's for dinner dad? I told em, Bully boy Bruno. Lets eat & enjoy it. And we did.

Two vets in attendance, plus men from the ministry, plus paperwork & passports, put pay to that. Sadly. One of my daughters is now a vegan, sometimes I wonder if she doesn't have a point.

Department of EU red tape was the beginning of the end, and too many clipboard users in the system, none of them wishing to stop being paid to check the length and bend in the bangers, as opposed to linking them.

 

[Freeforester]

I asked my pal today who is a veterinarian in southern Germany and is one of the state sanctioned vets in a pig abattoir three days per week about this.
He chuckled as it is in Germany!! and said it is a worldwide industry norm now. The co2 is heavier than air so it stays contained in the tank and the groggy pigs have their arteries cut when they are lifted out.
Makes me uncomfortable too as I did not know until today how the schnitzels were created. There is still a home slaughter possibility for one off home usage non sale, but there is a limit as to how often this can be done.

: it’s a sausage, Jim, but not as your granma would know it…

 

[Woodsmoke]

it’s a sausage, Jim, but not as your granma would know it…

Just a tad faster than I do it

 

[willie_gunn]

: it’s a sausage, Jim, but not as your granma would know it…

This is processing on an industrial scale - just look at the number of individuals cutting at around 0:50 into the video!

 

[Rory]

This is processing on an industrial scale - just look at the number of individuals cutting at around 0:50 into the video!

So hungry now...

 

[Jon P]

Just thinking aloud....

If there did turn out to be a slaughter house capacity issue.
I wonder if farmers would be prepared/allowed to sell live pigs to consumers, for home slaughter??

pigs don’t die easily when they are killed by professionals, having amateurs having a bash would be horrendous, . There will be welfare issues on farms though if they can’t get slaughtered and next lot being bred.

 

[Freeforester]

This is processing on an industrial scale - just look at the number of individuals cutting at around 0:50 into the video!

Injecting at 2:00, for your convenience..

 

[Eddie P]

I don't think it's asphyxiation, but hypercapnia.
High co2 in the blood is narcotic.
Some pigs tolerate it well, but some are distressed by it.
I'm not sure if there is currently a better way.

 

[baguio]

pigs don’t die easily when they are killed by professionals,

Utter utter rubbish!

 

[baguio]

It does not sound nice but Possibly less stressful then a bird being hung upside down on a conveyor belt system till it head hits the Electrically charged water to stun it , then gets bled lot prior to waking up.

Have you actually seen it done? I highly suspect not by that comment. I have seen a few thousand killed over the years and they hang there quite happily, no flapping or anything. Stunned without knowing a thing and dead within 30 seconds totally oblivious to what has just happened.